James Loney
James Anthony Loney (born May 7, 1984 in Houston, Texas) is a first baseman in Major League Baseball who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prep career Loney had a stellar prep career (varsity 2000-02) at Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas (suburban Houston). He hit .509 his senior season and also accumulated a record of 9-1 with a 1.80 earned run average as a pitcher, striking out 106 batters in 54 innings. After his senior year in 2002, he was named Player of the Year by Houston 5A Baseball, the Houston Chronicle and the Texas High School Writers Association, and was the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year (Texas). Prior to the draft, Baseball America tabbed him as the best pure hitter in the draft, as having the second-best professional debut by a high school player selected and the second-closest high school player to reaching the major leagues. Loney was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round (#19 overall). He had signed with Baylor University to play college baseball, but opted to sign a pro contract. Minor league career Loney began his professional career with the Great Falls Dodgers, where he hit .371 and was named the top prospect in the Pioneer League by Baseball America. Loney appeared in 125 games for Single-A Vero Beach in 2003 and hit .276 with 7 homers and 46 RBIs. In 2004, Loney was tabbed as the fourth-best prospect in the Arizona Fall League and made the All-Prospect Team voted on by league managers and coaches. However, he had an injury plagued season at Double-A Jacksonville. In 2005, Loney led the Southern League Champion Jacksonville Suns in hits and total bases. In 2006, Loney led all of baseball, major and minor leagues, with a .380 average while playing for the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. He was named the Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year, and was chosen as first-team AAA All-Star First Baseman by Baseball America. Major league career 2006 season Loney made his major league debut with the Dodgers on April 4, , against the Atlanta Braves. He received his opportunity when starting Dodgers first baseman Nomar Garciaparra was placed on the disabled list, freeing up a roster spot for Loney. Loney collected a single in his first major league at bat, against John Smoltz. On September 28, in a game against the Colorado Rockies, Loney went 4 for 5 with 9 runs batted in, which tied a 56-year Dodgers franchise record for RBIs in a single game, held by Gil Hodges. Loney accomplished this feat in only his 46th game with the team while still under 100 total at bats in his major league career. Because of his success in 2006 with both Los Angeles and AAA Las Vegas, he was named to the Dodgers' playoff roster. Filling in for an injured Garciaparra in game three against the New York Mets in the National League Division Series, Loney went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. 2007 season Despite Loney's stellar 2006 season, the Dodgers chose to re-sign Garciaparra for 2007-08, meaning Loney had to start the season back at AAA Las Vegas. On June 10, , Loney was recalled to Los Dodgers. His hot hitting forced the Dodgers to insert him into the starting line up and move Garciaparra from first base to third base. Loney was named the National League Rookie of the Month for September and finished sixth in the voting for the 2007 NL Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award.Sporting News honors A-Rod | MLB.com: NewsESPN - Braun edges Tulowitzki by two votes; Pedroia wins in landslide - MLB Loney was a unanimous selection to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. The selection was the result of the 49th annual Topps balloting of major league managers."Topps announces the 49th annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team," KansasCity.Royals.mlb.com, 11/26/07, accessed 11/26/07 2008 season Loney began the season as the starting first baseman and had a 15-game hitting streak. He finished the season batting .289 with 13 HR and 90 RBIs. Loney led the team in runs batted in consistently for the entire year. On October 1, 2008, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, Loney hit a grand slam off of Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster as the Dodgers went on to win the game 7-2. 2009 season Loney turned in numbers in 2009 similar to his 2008 numbers, hitting .281 with 13 home runs in 158 games as the teams starting first baseman. 2010 season On January 19, 2010, Loney agreed to a new 1-year contract that substantially increased his salary from $465,000 to $3,100,000.Loney ESPN Player Profile. In 160 games in 2010, he hit 10 home runs and 88 RBI, while batting .268, his poorest stats since he joined the team. Category:Los Angeles Dodgers